Method and apparatus for heating the quenching track concrete drain pad



F. A. VAJDA El' AL 3,495,653 METHOD AND` APPARATUS FOR HEATING THE QUENCHING Feb. 17,'1970' I TRACK CONCRETE DRAIN PAD Filed April 5, 1968 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Feb. 17, 1970 l F.A. VAJDA ETAL 4 3,495,553

. METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR HEATING THE QUENGHING TRACK GONCRETE DRAIN PAD Filed April s, 1968 2 sheets-sneer 2 ismmgm...

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United States Patent 3,495,653 METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR HEATING THE QUENCHING TRACK CONCRETE DRAIN PAD Frank A. Vajda, Bethel Park, George R. Cain, Pittsburgh,

and Herbert A. Grosick, Allison Park, Pa., assignor to Koppel-s Company, Inc., a corporation of Delaware Filed Apr. 3, 1968, Ser. No. 718,625 Int. Cl. F28f 19/00; F24d 5/10; B05b 3/18 U.S. Cl. 165-1 2 Claims ABSTRACT F THE DISCLOSURE The concrete pad that supports the quenching car in a coke oven battery is provided with ducts through which a heated fluid passes to maintain the concrete pad warm enough to prevent freezing of condensate and Water in winter during quenching operations.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION In the usual operation of a coke oven battery, after coke is pushed from a coke chamber into a quenching car, the car and coke are moved to a quenching station and water is sprayed onto the incandescent coke until it is cool enough to distribute thereafter along the usual coke wharf.

During the quenching operation, considerable steam is generated and excess water is collected in a trench that conducts the water to sumps where the coke breeze in the excess water settles.

Operation of the quenching car is difficult during the winter, when the steam condenses as water that, together with the excess quenching water, freezes on the quenching car rails and the concrete pad supporting the rails. Heretofore, manual removal of the ice and the installation of electrical resistance coils in the concrete pad to heat and prevent freezing in the winter, have been the methods employed to overcome this problem. But, both are costly; the first due to high labor costs and operational delays, and the second due to the large amount of electricity required and to the costly electrical heating equipment which is used only during a part of a years time.

However, the present invention provides a method and apparatus for maintaining the track and concrete pad icefree, that is simple,` inexpensive to install, operate and maintain. How the present invention accomplishes the objectives and others is set forth more fully hereinafter.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION A portion of the waste liue gases from the coke oven battery, or other hot gases, pass through a duct beneath the pad support for the quenching car, whereby condensate and excess quenching water do not freeze on the rails and at the quenching station, thereby hindering the movement of the quenching car. Also, hot liquid may be circulated through conduits in the support for the quenching car rails to accomplish the same purpose.

For a further understanding of the invention, and for features and advantages thereof, reference may be made to the following disclosure taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings which show for the purposes of exemplication embodiments of the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a schematic plan View of aquenching track arrangement that is suitable for practicing the method of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a sectional view along line II-II of FIG. l;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view along line III-III of FIG. 1;

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FIG. 4 is a sectional view, similar to FIG. 2, of another embodiment of the apparatus of the invention; and

FIG. 5 is a plan View of other apparatus for carrying into practice the method of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION FIG. l illustrates a plan view of a coke oven 11, on the coke side of which there is a horizontal pad 13 that supports a pair of rails or track 15 on which a conventional coke quenching car (not shown) travels along the length of the coke oven battery 11.

As shown in FIGS. l and 2, the support pad 13 is disposed between the coke oven battery 11 and a conventional coke wharf 17. Between the coke wharf 17 and the pad 13 there is a trench or trough 19 which is coextensive with the pad 13 and which serves to conduct the steam condensate and the excess quenching water and coke breeze to one end of the pad 13, which is the left end as viewed in FIG. l, where a conventional quenching station 21 is located.

The pad 13 is made of reinforced concrete and is supported upon piling supports 23 set in the ground 25 adjacent the coke oven battery 1l. In some instances, however, the supporting pad 13 may be soil bearing. Between the piling supports 23, there is located a heating duct 27 that may be seen in FIGS. l and 2. The heating duct 27 is centered between and below the quenching car rails 15, and is generally coextensive therewith; that is to say, the heating duct 27 extends from the far left end of the coke battery 11, at the quenching station 21 (FIG. 1), to the far right end of the rails 15.

At the far right end, as viewed in FIG. l, the heating duct 27 communicates, by means of a cross over duct 31, with a conventional coke-side waste heat ue 29 that is generally parallel to the heating duct 27, and to the longitudinal centerline axis of the coke oven battery 11. The cross over duct 31 includes a movable damper 33 which is used to regulate and control the ilow of Waste heat gases into the heating duct 27. The cross over duct 31 is provided with an air dilution vent 35 also, that is adapted, by means of a control damper valve (not shown), to control the flow of diluent air into the Waste ue gases in the heating duct 27.

The heating duct 27, at the far left of FIG. 1, loops around, under the quenching station pad 21, and terminates in a coke-side branch stack flue 39 that communicates with the waste heat duct 29, just as it enters the exhaust gas stack 37. A shut-off damper 41 is also provided in the duct 39, about where shown in FIG. 1, to regulate and control the flow of waste heat gases in the ducts 39 and 27, and a control damper 43 is provided in the waste heat duct 29 about where shown in FIG. l. Thus, the ow of waste heat gases in the duct 27 is induced by the exhaust gas stack 37 when the damper 43 is partially closed and the dampers 33, 41 are opened.

As may be noticed in FIG. 1, the trench 19 extends around the far left end of the quenching station 21 and leads to a pair of sumps 45, 47 in which the quenching water and coke breeze accumulates, and wherein the coke breeze settles out of the quenching water. This quenching water, as is known in the art, may be further allowed to settle in another sump or sumps, such as a quenching station clear well 49 shown in FIG. 5. Thereafter, such quenching water may be recirculated and used again for quenching hot coke.

In FIGS. 4 and 5, a concrete quenching car, rail-support pad 51 is provided with a plurality of conduits 53 that loop around at one end 55, and have ends 57, 59 that connect respectively to conduit 61 and 63. Conduit 61 connects with a suction strainer 65 iin the quenching station clear well 49 and with apump 67, while the conduit 63 discharges into the clear well 49. The conduits 53, in a preferred embodiment of the invention, are encased in the concrete, as shown, but they may also rest on top of the concrete pad 51. In that case, the conduits 53 would be covered with suitable lill material such as slag, sand, and the like materials.

In operation, the movable dampers 33, 41 are opened while the control damper 43 is partially closed to induce a flow of waste heat gases in conduit 27. The waste heat gases ow in conduit 27 in the direction of arrow A toward the far left end of FIG. 1, around an internal longitudinally extending baffle 69, back toward the right in the direction of arrow B, and into the duct 39. Thence, the waste heat gases are exhausted through the stack 37 to atmosphere.

In FIG. 5, the hot quenching water is withdrawn from the clear well 49 by the pump `67, and the water circulates outward in the direction of the arrows C, finally returning in the direction of arrows D to the clear well 49 through conduit 63.

While FIG. illustrates the circulation of hot quenching water, those skilled in the art will recognize that hot flushing liquor, which is readily available at the coke plant, may be circulated in the conduits 53, if such a system is preferred.

Further, a closed, recirculated water system, employing a separate steam heater to heat the water, may be used if preferred. In such an instance, the conduits 53 would be connected to the closed water heating apparatus, and heated water would circulate in the conduits 53, 61, 63.

Those skilled in the art will recognize many novel features and advantages in the herein described invention. One feature is the simplicity of the support pad heating system. The costly electrical heating equipment of prior art systems is eliminated and the capital investment in such equipment is saved.

A feature of the invention is that ample waste heat gases are always present and can be utilized quickly 4 when sudden freezes take place. Thus, the present invention is versatile.

A feature of the invention is the effectiveness of the system. In some instances, where the waste heat gases are too hot, ambient air may be admitted to the cross over duct, through the air dilution vent, to cool the waste heat gases as desired and as necessary to prevent unnecessary heating ofthe apparatus.

While the invention has been described herein with a certain degree of particularity, it is understood that the disclosure has been made only as an example and that the scope of the invention is dened by what is hereinafter claimed.

What is claimed is:

1. The method for heating the support pad for a quenching car operable alongside a coke oven battery comprising the steps of owing the heated waste uid from said coke-oven battery through a conduit embedded in said support pad and regulating the flow of said heated fluid in said conduit.

2. Apparatus for heating the support pad for a quenching car that is operable alongside a coke oven battery comprising:

a conduit embedded in the material of said support pad; means for passing a heated uid from said coke oven battery through said conduit; and means for regulating the flow of said lluid in said conduit.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,242,329 5/1941 Saulson -165-134 ROBERT A. OLEARY, Primary Examiner CHARLES SUKALO, Assistant Examiner U.S. C1.X.R. 

